August 2013 – #363

Top Ten:

GOLA JAJA-Naked Bollocks-LP
FRAMTID-Defeat of Civilization-LP
TAULARD-Frankreich Katastrophe-EP
PEER PRESSURE-2xEP/LEBAKKO-EP
SIDA-Apollo 13-EP
MANIPULATION-LP/BIMARKS-LP+EP
NIGHTFALL-LP/KONTRASEKT-LP
CRUDOS-flexi/HEARTLESS-EP
BOLT THROWER/NECROT-live
KRÖMOSOM/INFERNÖH/ABSURDO-live

KONTRASEKT – “End of Destruction” LP
If you’ve slept on Minneapolis’ KONTRASEKT until now, seriously, go out and get this LP. I dug their 7”, but this right here is total crust mastery, fast-as-fuck, heavy noisecore that remains anthemic under layer after layer of aural scum. The guitars sound absolutely putrid—picture a dump truck colonizing your ear canals—while the vocals add an acid nightmare tinge that’s impossible to resist. Refined metalpunx will take note when they manage to slow down, with a pretty killer ‘raw punks do BOLT THROWER’ sound on one of my favorite tracks, “Indomitus”. Pretty much everything I want from a hardcore record in 2013, I’m still kicking myself for missing their recent gigs in the Bay. (WB)
(MCR Company/Vex)

STRONG AS TEN – "Test Pressing" EP
More blazing fury from STRONG AS TEN, these vets from Metz, France crank out top-notch thrashcore like the mid-to-late 90s never ended. The whacky side of o.g. powerviolence stands out as a clear influence, not least in the back-and-forth vocals that immediately recall SPAZZ. Punchy one-two drumming is, of course, the name of game here—backed up with some excellent breakdowns—and the ridiculous 4-second falsetto bit at the end of "Another NYHC Stupid Song" reaches the summit of dumb hardcore genius. This is just all around awesome. (WB)
(Shogun)

JOE 4 – "Njegov Sin" LP
Thick Croatian noise-rock in the same territory as DAZZLING KILLMEN, DAUGHTERS, and JESUS LIZARD, this is JOE 4's first full-length. It's heavy (but not that heavy) and kinda jazzy at times—sort of a lumbering, modern take on SHELLAC meets NOMEANSNO (and yes, Steve Albini did record this)—but a lack of genuine experimentation renders this style somewhat formulaic. One exception is the second-to-last song, "Almost A Boy," which features some spacey leads and definitely stands out from the pack. Not my kind of jam these days, but I can definitely picture a room full of kids getting weird to this. (WB)
(Whosbrain/Fidel Bastro/Geenger)

CRUSADES – "Parables" EP
Finally, a record that asks the question: would Nietzsche have been into pop punk? I'm not sure soaring melodic hardcore was what The Philosopher had in mind when he talked about Dionysian affirmation, but don't tell that to Ottawa's CRUSADES, who seem content, nay, thrilled to set some of his most infamous aphorisms to music. The lyrics and sweeping acoustic intro had me thinking (hoping?) for melocrust, but the A-side is polished, ever-so-earnest major-key punk, through and through: you either love it or you don't (I did not). The flip was something of a pleasant surprise by comparison, a ballad of sorts that recalls post-"Potemkin City Limits" PROPAGANDHI before descending into a bridge that could have been on one of the last HÜSKER DÜ records. Personal taste prevents me from getting behind this in any real sense, but I think I'd say these folks have succeeded on their own terms.
(It's Alive / Destructure)